Putin moves to remove allies of ex-defense chief Sergei Shoigu from power
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
The Russian president is carrying out a purge of allies of Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu. He may replace the head of the State Duma defense committee with General Alexander Lapin, known for his failures in war, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts, citing Russian sources, note that Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov may be removed from the position of head of the State Duma defense committee. His place will likely be taken by Colonel General Alexander Lapin.
It is noted that Lapin's candidacy is currently being considered by the ruling United Russia party, although a final decision has not yet been made. According to preliminary information, he may run on a party list from Tatarstan. It is reported that after resigning from military posts, he became an adviser to the head of the region, Rustam Minnikhanov.
Current committee head Kartapolov may not take part in the next re-election. A source in the Russian Defense Ministry told a publication that the ministry repeatedly reacted with "surprise" to his public statements.
In addition, sources suggested that the party would not nominate Kartapolov from the Moscow region, where he won in 2021. The Russian general himself said on May 18 that he intends to run for a second term in the State Duma.
Purge of the Shoigu people
Removal of Kartapolov, who is associated with Shoigu, aligns with Putin's campaign to weaken the influence of the former Defense Ministry head.
"The possible replacement of Kartapolov with Lapin, if confirmed, would be a continuation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's practice of rotating high-ranking commanders into other positions despite their poor battlefield performance," analysts noted.
Colonel General Alexander Lapin commanded the Central Grouping of Russian troops at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
After a series of failures, he became chief of staff of the Russian Ground Forces in 2023 and, in 2024, headed the Leningrad Military District and the Northern Grouping of Forces. In August 2025, it became known that Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov replaced him in those positions.
The Office of the President of Ukraine does not rule out that the Russian president may announce general mobilization in the aggressor country after the State Duma elections.
Head of Estonian foreign intelligence Kaupo Rosin stated that Putin has few good options regarding war in Ukraine, since Russians have no significant success on the frontline and Russian resources are being depleted by sanctions.
